Russian University in Search of Identity: Service as a Way of Being in Culture
https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2025-34-10-10-26
Abstract
This article examines the problem of the Russian university’s identity in the context of contemporary challenges and global trends in higher education. It analyzes the identity crisis experienced by the Russian university and its causes, related to the borrowing of Western models and the loss of connection with its own traditions. The concept of “service” (sluzhenie) is proposed as an ontological foundation for the Russian university, rooted in the national intellectual tradition and capable of becoming the basis for forming an adequate development strategy. The historical stages of the Russian university’s development are examined, and the overarching idea of “service” (sluzhenie), running through all transformations, is identified. The necessity of creatively reinterpreting this tradition in the modern context to solve the current problems of Russian higher education is substantiated.
About the Author
V. S. NikolskiyRussian Federation
Vladimir S. Nikolskiy – Dr. Sci. (Philosophy), Professor, Chief Editor of the Journal of “Higher Education in Russia”
38 B. Semenovskaya str., Moscow, 107023
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